Full case study analysis of a company (Apple) Essay Example for Free

Full case study analysis of a company (Apple) Essay Locating the company in its environment. This is where you set the scene and so you should Offer a brief overview of the company (from your own research or the case material provided). Put the company in its context, which will be international or global. At this point you will start to use the various analytical tools available to tell me about the environmental opportunities and constraints operating on the company and its industry. PESTEL is the usual device employed. You should also analyze the characteristics of the industry and business in which the company has to compete and here you should employ the 5 Forces of Competition analysis carried out in some analytical depth. Note: You could emerge from this first analysis with a PARTIAL SWOT, which is drawing out the opportunities and threats facing the firm. After having analyzed the company’s environment, the focus moves to the company itself by conducting an internal analysis where the objective is to identify the capabilities and resources developed by the company. This will be carried out through the application of some well tried analytical instruments, such as the value chain, the threshold and distinctive resources and competencies framework and the VRIO framework. Note: You should be able by now to complete the above SWOT analysis by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Finally, you should now be able to define the competitive position of the company in relation to the Generic Strategy chosen. Part two: The selection of strategic options You should emerge from this Phase with an inquiry based view of your company’s level of business success and what it must do to sustain that success and continuously improve. Which are the main options for growth? To answer this question you can refer to the Ansoff Matrix and – if the company is part of a larger diversified corporation to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix. Somewhere in this phase you will need to appraise the company’s financial state of health using well-established measures of efficiency and profitability. But please take note that we do not cover finance in our twelve weeks together but my expectation is that your studies in corporate finance (Financial Accounting and Management) should equip you to include a commentary on Apple financial predicament. Part three: Your strategic solutions for the company’s ongoing health Now that you have derived a picture of your Company’s state of health, can it be improved—what medicine can you offer? So, phase/part three is about Strategic options for the future. There could be many but which strategic option/s would you recommend and why? Are you happy that your choices are derived from your systematic analysis of the company at Phases one and two? Are they feasible? Can they be resourced? Can they be implemented and sustained?

The background of Hai-O in Malaysia

The background of Hai-O in Malaysia Background of the Company Hai-O is one of the leading traditional healthcare companies in Malaysia, competing in the niche of traditional Chinese medicine. In the first chapter, this paper will discuss the background of the company in general to further illustrate the business nature of the company. This will provide the basis for the further discussion of Hai-Os business strategy. Introduction Hai-O is a local group of companies that operates in the business of traditional Chinese medicine. Hai-O Group of Companies (the Group) comprise of a few business divisions in the corporate structure. All of these divisions operate in the core business of Chinese healthcare products that include herbal medicines, pharmaceutical products as well as health food. Hai-O divisions include multi-level marketing (MLM) wholesaling, retail stores, as well as manufacturing. The Group has also diversified into a few other industries such as advertising services and leasing of machinery. Problem Statement For thousands of years, traditional medicine has been used in some communities for health cures and remedies. As it has been re-introduced in the modern world, there has been a growing debate on its effectiveness and potential side effects. This causes a rough ride for Hai-O as a traditional medicine provider. One of the challenges arise is the lack of international standards and evaluation methods for the efficiency of traditional medication because of international diversity of cultures and regions. As a result, many countries do not have national policies and regulations for traditional medicines. And there is also an issue of disparity in definition and classification for traditional medicine therapies. Some countries may define an herbal product as food supplement while others may accept it as herbal medicine, making international access and global product distributions a challenge to abide for Hai-O Group. There is also limitation for traditional medicines in terms of safety and quality. This is due to the complex nature of the methods for research and evaluation. For example, the safety and quality of finished herbal medicine products require tests on their resources which at one point can comprise hundreds of natural constituents. And the handling of these elements also needs to be evaluated. Products of traditional medicine are produced form natural elements which mostly are collected from wild plants. Scarcity of resources could also be an issue for business practices, not to mention the social threat they might face because of destructing of natural resources. Aside from growing competitions from other extension of healthcare business, Hai-O Enterprise Berhad needs to address these challenges and issues in its strategy to exhilarate growth and expansion. Problem Questions Writing this case will aim to answer a few questions that arise in the problem statement above. Some of the questions are: What is Hai-Os strategy to tackle the negative aspects of TCM? Why does Hai-O employ its current business strategies? How does Hai-O plan to expand into international market? How does Hai-O sustain its growth despite the challenges and threats? Case Study Objectives Objective of this case study is to critically analyse the: Business strategy; Strategy formulation; and the Issues and challenges faced by Hai-O Group in its business strategy Upon completion, this study will help to understand and clearly identify the business strategy of Hai-O Group. Through the case analysis, Hai-Os strategy formulation will be carefully examined and this will guide the finding of the critical issues and challenges of its business strategy. Companys Overview Hai-O was established in 1975, and has become a famous household name in Malaysia ever since. Originally, the Company offered an assortment of Chinese medicines and healthcare products. Much later, the business expanded and grew into Hai-O Group of Companies. It first made its way to Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad in the year 1996, by being listed in the second board of Bursa Malaysia. The Group has 5 principal business that are multi-level marketing, wholesaling, retailing, manufacturing and medicinal clinics. The Group was the first traditional healthcare company listed on the stock exchange. It was listed into the main board of Bursa Malaysia on 2007. Expert in its niche, Hai-O has managed to build extensive and efficient distribution network for the past three decades. As part of its services, the Group is also practising integrated health services which combine the traditional Chinese medicine clinic services and non-decocted Chinese herbal consultation in their retail stores. These services were collaboration with its joint venture partner, Beijing Tongrentang Co Ltd, a big TCM provider in China. History of Hai-O Hai-O Enterprise Bhd was founded by Mr. Tan Kai Hee in 1975. He was an assistant secretary-general of the Labour Party in 1960s and was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) from 1965 to 1973. Only 28 years old at the time, Tan was optimistic despite the unfortunate circumstances. Finding job after the detention was not easy, and this leads him to the idea of organising other ex-comrades to venture into China trade. And so they set up Hai-O in 1975 and started operation in Klang. The business was soon became a word of mouth among friends and supporters. Due to a lot of hard work and high optimism, the Group was able to break even within the first year and all of the key historical and inspirational accomplishment took place itself in the first year it was introduced. Throughout many years of operation, the Group has earned a lot of awards for their remarkable performance. Such recognitions are awarded to all the top performing companies within the Group. The Group take pride in its achievements which have help instil good confidence among its investors and customers. Awards and recognitions received by Hai-O Group are: Hai-O Enterprise: Best Small Capitalisation Company (Malaysian Corporate Governance Index 2009) by Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) Hai-O Enterprise: Best Return to Shareholder Category First Runner Up Award by Malaysian Business CIMA Enterprise Governance 2009 Hai-O Enterprise: Best Under a Billion Award by Forbes Asia 2009 Hai-O Enterprise: Ranked no. 6 in Top 100 Listed Company In Terms of Shareholder Values Creations 2008 by KPMG and The Edge Hai-O Enterprise: Best Under a Billion Award by Forbes Asia 2008 Hai-O Raya: The Brand Laureate 2008-2009 under the Product Branding for Traditional Chinese Medicine category Hai-O Marketing: Malaysian Business Ethics Excellence 2008 recognition certificate by Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Hai-O Raya: Malaysian Business Ethics Excellence 200 recognition certificate by Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Hai-O Enterprise: Best Under a Billion Award by Forbes Asia 2007 Hai-O Marketing: Outstanding Contribution Towards Developing Bumiputra Entrepreneurs 2007 recognition certificate by MECD Hai-O Raya: Superbrand 2003/2004 Hai-O Raya: Malaysian Book of Records: Greatest Number of Traditional Healthcare Chain Stores in Malaysia 2001 Hai-O Raya: Golden Bull Award: Malaysias Top 100 Outstanding SMEs 2003 Hai-O Raya: Enterprise 50 by SMIDEC and Deloitte 2003 Top Malaysian Small Cap Companies (100 Jewels 2007) by OSK Investment Bank Bhd Hai-O Marketing: 13 Years Membership with Direct Selling Association Malaysia 2007 Diamond Club Award for Excellent Performance 2002, 2003, 2006 GMP Status and ISO: 9001certification by SG Global Biotech Sdn Bhd U.S. FDA Facility Registration certificate by SG Global Biotech Sdn Bhd Source: http://en.hai-o.com.my Vision, Mission and Corporate Values The Group ultimate goal is to become a premiere healthcare company in Malaysia. Focusing on it, its vision reads: We aim to become the premier healthcare company in Malaysia and thereby bringing the greatest value and pride to our customers, business partners, employees and shareholders. This explained that their vision of being the leading healthcare company are much focused on delivering value to each key element that make up their business, internally and externally. Hai-O has strived over 35 years to take the brand name beyond the image of Chinese medicine. The Group genuine interests in healthy culture boost their spirit to promote humans well-being with the mission statement that reads: We are committed to promoting healthcare culture and improving humans well-being. Such vision and mission is incorporated into the Groups corporate value. Hai-O means seagull in Mandarin. It is a metaphor that the Group will soar high and the Group incorporated its corporate values in the word seagull itself and the image of a seagull is embedded in the Groups company logo. Their 7 core values are: Social responsibility; Hai-O strives to repay society by helping those in needs through actions and monetary support. Excellent service; Hai-O strives beyond customers expectations to give excellent quality products and superior service. Attitude; Hai-O strives to sustain a positive attitude in every dimensions of the business at any circumstances it faces. Unity; Hai-O strives to unite its organization as one big family in Malaysian culture of different races to achieve its goals in the challenging business world. Growing; Hai-O strives to capitalise on its competitive advantage and knowledge to ensure continuous improvement and growth. Loyalty; Hai-O strives to be loyal to its business partners and its commitment to convey good results to the customers as well as the shareholders. Learning; Hai-O strives to build a knowledge-based working environment by collecting its resources together to achieve goals to educate consumers on healthcare and to contribute to the research and development in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical science. Figure 1: Hai-Os Company Logo Image source: Adapted from http://en.hai-o.com.my Strategy One of the obvious strategies to market its product was the Group formation of Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd. in 1992. This subsidiary company is targeted to market Hai-Os products through multilevel marketing. Products that are sold through this company are health food, wellness and beauty products. This strategy of has boosted the Groups business substantially and has brought a huge exposure for Hai-Os brand into the consumer market. Although the business move has brought a giant impact, the Group fundamental strategies still remain in three main criteria; choosing the right product, targeting the Bumiputra segment and venturing abroad. Hai-O sources raw materials for its product from the main land China. TCM market in China is saturated and the products are variety. But Hai-O is devoted to solitary select the right ones to bring into its product line. Only importing patented products that are approved by the Ministry of Health, the Group built its clients trust by selling genuine quality products at a fair price with Hai-O branding. In 2002, links to China were further consolidated in a partnership with Peking Tongrentang, a renowned company with a 338-years history and is famous for working for the emperor during the Qing dynasty. Other than that, the Group also signed a sole distributorship agreement in 2007, with Yunnan Baiyao Group Co Ltd. Since the setting of its MLM division, Malay consumers have constituted a large segment of its market as well as its sales force, which has result in a remarkable transformation for Hai-O as a group. The concept of MLM suited the Bumiptra market very well. Famous product among the Malay consumer is the Pur Er tea which is considered as a wonder tonic with abundant health benefits ranging from removing toxins to improving blood circulation. Achieving reputation among Malay consumers has changed the Groups image from previously a mainly Malaysian Chinese trade. As a result, the brand is more accessible and well received by other citizen in Malaysia. As the power of traditional medicine is showing evident results in todays healthcare industry, the Group decided to take the business abroad by penetrating the lucrative markets of China and Indonesia. A joint venture company has been set up in Jakarta and has started business in August 2009. As for China, the Group is in the midst of obtaining the necessary rights and licences to promote Malaysias traditional medicines and health products such as Tongkat Ali, and Kacip Fatimah in its local market. Venturing into the international market is a strategy that the Group hope will help to expose their brand even further as well as promote traditional Chinese medicine to a higher level. Corporate Structure Figure 2: Hai-Os Corporate Structure Source: http://en.hai-o.com.my Wholesale Division As a second largest contributor to the Group, the wholesale division have secured exclusive agency rights for importing and distributing of more than 200 branded products from China under the company names Hai-O Medicine Sdn. Bhd., Kinds Resources Sdn. Bhd., Grand Brands (M) Sdn. Bhd., Chop Aik Seng Sdn. Bhd. and Vintage Wine Sdn. Bhd. These products include a wide range of traditional Chinese medicines, teas and wines that are distributed through Hai-Os multi-distribution channels. These channels offer a broad access to Chinese medical halls, hyper/ supermarkets, convenience stores, retail outlets and restaurants. Direct Selling Division The direct selling division, also known as the MLM division has been the Groups fastest growing segment since it is first introduced in 1992. Operating under the company name Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd., the division has a strong distribution force that helped the company to emerge as a leading local direct selling company. Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd. is now serving over 34,000 distributorships, through more than 50 distribution centres throughout Malaysia. With the product mix ranging from healthcare to household products, Hai-O Marketing Sdn. Bhd. also owns a subsidiary company, PT Hai-O Indonesia which took up a 60% stake in a joint-venture company with an Indonesian partner. The company has started business in August 2009, selling products manufactured from Malaysia. Retail Division The Group has over 60 chain stores in major cities and towns across Malaysia. These chain stores carry an extensive range of traditional Chinese medicines, teas, wines and other healthcare products. Operating under the company name Hai-O Raya Berhad, the Group also owns retail counters in some of major supermarkets namely Carrefour and AEON Jusco. These outlets provide consultations on herbs and TCMs by professional herb masters. Hai-O Raya Berhad also provides a franchise program for entrepreneurs who are interested in operating a professional TCM store. In 2002, the Group expanded to also offer integrated clinical service under the company name, Peking Tongrentang (M) Sdn. Bhd. This integrated clinic is a joint-venture between Hai-O and Beijing Tongrentang Co Ltd, the largest producer of traditional Chinese medicine in China. Besides that, the Group also owns another subsidiary company that offers extensive traditional Chinese medicine products and service, Hai-O Polaris (M) Sdn. B hd. Manufacturing Division Realizing the importance and the fast growing demand of traditional Chinese medicine in the country, the Group made a decision to open up its own pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in 1994. Operating under the name SG Global Biotech Sdn. Bhd., it was the first traditional medicinal manufacturer that complies with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards in the country. The companys obligation to quality assurance has obtained the qualification under ISO 9002 in 1999 and ISO9001: 2000 in 2002. Its core businesses is producing and processing of herbal and other health products and SG Global is also active in a lot of research and development activities. The company shared the technology and expertise with China and several local counterparts in Malaysia. Riding on the potential growth of the research and development area in herbal and traditional medicine in Malaysia, the Group extended its operation into another subsidiary that focuses on laboratory research to increase product innovation. QIS Research Laboratory Sdn. Bhd. is established to offer a full service in analytical laboratory, microbiology and chemical analysis of traditional medicine. QIS Lab is accredited to ISO 17025 by the Department of Standard Malaysia (DSM) of the Ministry of Science and Technology. In the past years, the Group has also ventured in several other business segments. Other subsidiary companies include Seagull Advertising Sdn. Bhd., Hai-O Credit and Leasing Sdn. Bhd., Sri Pangkor Credit and Leasing Sdn. Bhd., Hai-O Energy (M) Sdn. Bhd. and Hai-O Properties Sdn. Bhd. The Group other supporting businesses involved the leasing of machinery and equipment, advertising services, investment holding as well as insurance agency. Corporate Governance The Board of Directors of Hai-O Enterprise Berhad (the Board) embraces the value of the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance which outlines the ethics and the best practices on corporate governance. In regards, the Board is dedicated to make sure that the corporate governance principles are well practiced and well observed throughout the operation of Hai-O Group in order to ensure integrity and professionalism within the organization to safeguard shareholders investment and value. Composition of the Board The Board of Hai-O Group is consists of 8 members, comprising of 3 Executive Directors and 5 Non-Executive Directors. 4 of these Non-Executive Directors are Independent Directors who act as independent advisors. This composition meets the terms with the Listing Requirements of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd which requires one-third (1/3) of the Board to be Independent Directors. The Executive and Non-Executive Directors functions are defined clearly. The Executive Directors capacity is to administer the Groups operations and execute the operational and corporate decisions while the Non-Executive Directors offer the Company with necessary opinions and decisions. Formulation of the Groups strategies and policies are shaped from the combination between the expertise of the Independent Non-Executive Directors and the skill and wisdom of the Executive Directors. If a conflict of interest is likely to arise, it is the obligation for the director concerned to declare his interest and withdraw from the process of the decision making. The same formula is tailored to the responsibilities between the Chairman and the Managing Director in order to maintain a balance of authority and accountability. The Chairman provides a general leadership to the Board without restricting the principle of collective responsibility for Boards decisions. And the Managing Directors principal responsibility is to formulate the business strategies and to employ the corporate decisions as well as to administer the overall business operations. The Boards composition represents a mix of skill, knowledge and expertise that are significant to the activities of the Group. The Board meeting is held once every 3 months. The Board entrusted the Nomination Committee with the necessary responsibilities to appoint and re-elect the directors. This committee is comprises of Independent and Non-Executive Directors and is responsible to recognize and pick potential new directors and propose nominations to the Board. The Board also recognizes that constant learning is critical for its members in order to gain insights into the state of economy, technological advances, regulatory updates and management strategies. Thus all the Directors of the Company have to complete the Mandatory Accreditation Programme (MAP) which is compulsory for the Listing Requirements of the Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd. The Directors will continue to undertake other significant training programmes and the Continuing Education Programmes (CEP) to supplement and maximize knowledge in the latest statutory and regulatory developments. This is also to assist them in keeping abreast with developments in the business environment in order to enable them to uphold their responsibilities more effectively. Directors Remunerations A remuneration Committee was set up by the Board to manage the Executive Directors remuneration package. The committee members are majority consisting of the Non-Executive Directors. This remuneration package is based on the Groups results apart from the individual directors performance. The committee meeting is held frequently as required to resolve all aspect of remuneration as well as terms and conditions of service of the Executive Directors. Level of the remuneration is structured as such to motivate and encourage the Directors to run the Group at the top of their performances. And the compensation for the Non-Executive Directors is subjected to the Boards decision as a whole. The fees for both the Executive and Non-Executive Directors are approved by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Shareholders and Investors It is important to public listed organizations to inform the current status of the Group to the shareholders, stakeholders as well as the general public. Hence, the Group has been keeping up a constructive and active communication policy which enables the management and the Board to communicate effectively with its shareholders. The Groups website, www.hai-o.com.my is one of the channels available for corporate information to assist shareholders and investors to assess their investment decisions. The Groups AGM proceedings are open to all shareholders to promote transparency. Shareholders are also invited to attend any Extraordinary General Meetings which are announced through circulars and notice of meeting whenever it occurs. Accountability and Audit An Audit Committee is set up to manage the annual financial statements of the Group. This committee is responsible to ensure that the statements are complied with the requirements in the valid accounting standards in Malaysia under the Companies Act, 1965 as well as the Listing Requirements of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd. The committee is also accountable to establish an appropriate and transparent relationship with the Groups internal and external auditors. The Board also recognizes the significant of financial controls, operational and compliance controls as well as risk management. Hence, the internal control system is designed to administer the risk of failure to accomplish business objectives. Board of Directors The names and positions of Hai-O Enterprise Berhads executive officers (as of February 17, 2010) are listed below: Table 1: Hai-Os Board of Directors Name Position Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Osman S. Cassim Chairman, Independent Non- Executive Director Tan Kai Hee Managing Director, Non-Independent Director Datin Sunita Mei-Lin Rajakumar Independent Non-Executive Director Tan Keng Song Executive Director, Non-Independent Director Chia Kuo Wui Executive Director, Non-Independent Director Y. Bhg. Dato Abdul Rani Bin Mohd Razalli Non-Independent Non-Executive Director Lim Chin Luen Independent Non-Executive Director Quek Ah Ba Independent Non-Executive Director Source: Adapted from http://en.hai-o.com.my Profile of the Board of Directors Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Osman S. Cassim (Chairman, Independent Non-Executive Director) Tan Sri Osman graduated from University of Malaya, Singapore with an Honors Degree in Arts. He later attended the Advanced Management Programmes by Harvard Business School, Boston in 1984. During his 30 years career in public sector, Tan Sri Osman used to serve as Secretary General in the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Information, and Ministry of Home Affairs. He was elected as the Director General of the Public Services Department Malaysia in 1980. Later in 1988, he was appointed as the National Advisor to the General Electric International (USA) Currently he is the Vice President in the Court of Fellows of Malaysia Institute of Management. Tan Sri Osman was also the Chairman of Southern Bank Berhad from 1990 to 2005. He joined Hai-O Group and become the Chairman on 31 January 2005. Tan Sri Osman is also the Chairman of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee of Hai-O Group. Tan Kai Hee (Managing Director, Non-Independent Director) Mr. Tan Kai Hee is one of the founders of the Group. He is also the main policy and decision-maker. Mr. Tan has more than 33 years of experience in the trading business. In August 2006, he attended China Market Study Tour Program which was carried out by Beijing International MBA, Peking University. Mr. Tan is also an avid social worker for the past 35 years. As also a founder of Malaysia-China Friendship Association (PMC), Mr. Tan acts as the Secretary-General. He is also the founder of Malaysia-China Medicine Health Product Association (MCMHPA), Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and Malaysia Ru-Shang Social Association. Among others, Mr. Tan is also the Chairman in the Trading Services of the Malaysia China Business Council (MCBC) and the Advisor for the Federation of Chinese Physicians and Medicine Dealers Association of Malaysia (FCPMDAM). Mr. Tan holds directorship in Hai-O Raya Bhd. as well as a few other private limited companies. He was selected to the Groups Board o n 30 August 1975 and is also a member in the Remuneration and Investment Committee. Mr. Tan is the father of Ms. Tan Keng Song, who is the Executive Director of Hai-O Enterprise Bhd. Datin Sunita Mei-Lin Rajakumar (Independent Non-Executive Director) Graduated from University Bristol, United Kingdom, Datin Sunita holds a Bachelor Degree in Law. She is the Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, earning her qualification certificate in 1994. She used to work for Ernst Young, London as the Audit Manager. She also used to be the Manager in RHB Sakura Merchant Bank, Kuala Lumpur. In addition, she used to work in Corporate Finance as the Vice President at Petra Technologies and was appointed as the Director of Corporate Finance at Southern Plastic. She also used to work for MIMOS Berhad as the Venture Capital Consultant before joining the Groups Board on January 2009. Datin Sunita is also a member of the Groups Audit Committee. Tan Keng Song (Executive Director, Non-Independent Director) Ms. Tan Keng Song holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from University of Western Australia. Majoring in Marketing and Management, she used to work for UMW Group. She joined Hai-O Group in 2000 as the MIS Executive at Hai-O Raya Bhd. Later she was promoted to the head of the Groups IT and MIS division. Currently she is leading the Business Administration, MIS and Human Resources Department and is a member of the Investment Committee. Ms. Tan joined the Board on 2001. She is the daughter of Mr. Tan Kai Hee, the Managing Director of Hai-O Enterprise Bhd. Chia Kuo Wui (Executive Director, Non-Independent Director) Mr. Chia Kuo Wui obtained his Bachelor Degree in Accounting at Curtin University, Australia. Later he continued to earn his study MBA from Charles Stuart University at Help University College Kuala Lumpur. Mr. Chia joined Hai-O Group in the Corporate Planning and the Investor Relation Department. Holding key positions in some of Hai-O Groups, he also holds the directorships in a few other private limited companies. Mr. Chia Kuo Wui was appointed to the Groups Board on 14 November 2008. Y. Bhg. Dato Abdul Rani Bin Mohd Razalli (Non Independent Non Executive Director) Dato Abdul Rani obtained his Senior Cambridge Certificate in 1952. He used to serve the Government Royal Custom Excise, Malaysia as the Deputy Director General. He later ventured into commercial business in the fields of shipments, transportation, warehousing, and manufacturing. Dato Abdul Rani joined Hai-O Group on 1995 as the Executive Director. He was also a member of the Investment Committee of Hai-O Group and was re-designated as Non Executive and Non Independent Director in 2003. Lim Chin Luen (Independent Non-Executive Director) Mr. Lim Chin Luen has been involved with the trading of Chinese traditional medicine and herbal products for over 15 years. He also owns a nourishing food and noodles stores in Singapore. Mr. Lim joined the Groups Board in December 1997. He was also a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committee of Hai-O Group. Quek Ah Ba (Independent Non-Executive Director) Mr. Quek Ah Ba served as an Accountant and Operational Manager in many companies. He also served two of the Securities firms, Noone Co Sdn Bhd from 1980 to 1983, and C.S. Securities Sdn Bhd from 1986 to 1989. Mr. Quek was a member of Australia Society of Accountants (A.S.A.) and CPA (Australia). He joined Hai-O on 2001 and became the Chairman of the Audit Committee. In addition, Mr. Quek is also a member of the Nomination Committee.

Determination of Gravitational Acceleration

Determination of Gravitational Acceleration Introduction Pendulums can be defined as a body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity, commonly used to regulate various devices, especially clocks. Worth (2008) states that pendulums have been used for thousands of years. The ancient Chinese used the pendulum principle to try and help predict earthquakes. Hundreds years ago the famous Italian scientist Galileo was the first European to really study pendulums and he discovered that their regularity could be used for keeping time, leading to the first clocks. Worth (2008) goes on to explain that in 1656, the Dutch inventor and mathematician, Huygens, was the first man to successfully build an accurate clock. It was the first time pendulums were used for humans everyday life. There are four basic laws of a pendulum: Van Albert (1995) explain that firstly the time it takes for a pendulum to complete a swing is related to the square root of the length of string of the pendulum. Secondly the time it takes for the pendulum to swing is related to the square root of the gravitational acceleration. Gravitational acceleration can be defined as the force that attracts objects in space towards each other, and that on the earth pulls them towards the centre of the planet, so that things fall to the ground when they are dropped (Wikipedia 2010). Thirdly the time it takes for the pendulum to swing is not related to the mass and material of the small ball at the end of the pendulum. Finally the time is independent of the greatest distance that a wave provided the greatest distance that a wave is small. The principles of a pendulum can be proven. This experiment is going to show the effect changing gravitational acceleration has on a pendulum, and will determine gravitational acceleration using a simple pendulum Methods Equipment of determination of gravitational acceleration using a simple pendulum A long piece of string A wooden block A small ball A one meter long ruler A protractor Vernier caliper A stop-watch This experiment is talking about determination of gravitational acceleration using a simple pendulum fig 1 was showed that the simple pendulum was used in this experiment. Procedure The long piece of string and the small ball were connected. The small ball was suspended from the wooden block with the long piece of stringÃÆ' ¯Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¼Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢such as in figure 1 The length of the long piece of string L was measured using the ruler. Then the diameter of the small ball was measured using the vernier caliper. The long piece of string was not stretched. It was measured to the centre of the small ball. The small ball was raised up about 15 degrees using the protractor, and then released so that oscillations were executed. The time it took for the pendulum to complete a swing T was measured using the stop-watch to time 50 oscillations. Steps 1 to 5 were repeated for five more values of L, and each part was done twice to verify the correct answer. Experiment 1 the length of the long piece of string was measured to 0.4 m Experiment 2 the length of the long piece of string was measured to 0.6 m Experiment 3 the length of the long piece of string was measured to 0.8 m Experiment 4 the length of the long piece of string was measured to 1.0 m Experiment 5 the length of the long piece of string was measured to 1.2 m. Result Calculation Below is a table to show the results recorded from trails 1 to 5. Experiment of determination of gravitational acceleration using a simple pendulum Trail one Trail two The time taken t for 50 oscillation The square of period T The time taken t for 50 oscillation The square of period T Experiment 1 length of string 0.4 m; 64 s 1.64 65 s 1.69 Experiment 2 length of string 0.6 m; 78.6 s 2.47 78.4 s 2.46 Experiment 3 length of string 0.8 m; 90.8 s 3.30 91 s 3.31 Experiment 4 length of string 1.0 m; 101.25 s 4.10 101.2 s 4.09 Experiment 5 length of string 1.2 m 110.7 s 4.90 110.8 s 4.91 The average time was calculated using the formula The square of period T was calculated using T times T. The information in this table can be plotted in a line graph see graph 1. The vertical axis shows that the time takenthe square of period T for 50 oscillation. The horizontal axis shows that the different lengths of the piece of string. The gradient of the line shows the gravitational acceleration. Discussion In this experiment there were controlled variables. Controlled variable can be defined as one which is not allowed to change unpredictably during an experiment Answers Corporation (2010). The first controlled variable was the number of swings. Second was the angle of the swing. The last one is mass of the bob, we all kept their same. In addition, there was one experimental variable. The experimental variable can be defined as some values in experiment we change on purpose. In my experiment, the experimental variable was the length of swings. Error is an experiment word means that mistake, especially one that causes problems or affects the result of some thing. The error can be caused when the small ball was not raised up about 15 degrees, location, the total number of oscillation are not 50. I compared with the data of my classmate, the square period T was proportional to the length of string s. All the points of the graph lie on a straight line so the conclusion is very reliable over this range. It seems likely that the same trend would continue if the string was made longer. I solve the equation and get the acceleration of gravity is 9.78m/s, its not really correct. I think the biggest problem was that the small ball was not raised up about 15 degrees; location and the total number of oscillation are not 50 Conclusion This experiment is talking about determination of gravitational acceleration using a simple pendulum. Firstly I used five steps to finish this experiment first I connected the long piece of string and the small ball. Second I Suspended The small ball from the wooden block with the long piece of stringÃÆ' ¯Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¼Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢such as in figure 1. Third I measured the length of the long piece of string L using the ruler and measured the diameter of the small ball using the vernier caliper. Forth I raised up the small ball about 15 degrees using the protractor. Fifth I unclasped the small and using the stop-watch to measure the time it took for the pendulum to complete a swing T. Secondly I made a graph to show my data about this experiment. Thirdly I used these data to calculate the value of gravitational acceleration. Finally I compared my result with my classmate to find mistake In my results, the first two purposes were proving. I measured that the gravitational acceleration is 9.78m/s, it smaller than 9.8m/s. I think one of the most important problem is the total number of oscillation are not 50. Measuring the total number of oscillation about 1.20m is easier than short lengths. Because of the speed of the length is 1.2m is lower than the speed of the length is 0.4m In addition, I think my experiment is good even have some mistake. I will carefully to measure total number of oscillation I am going to try my best to let my data much exact.

Black Arrival In Canada :: essays research papers

The arrival of blacks in Canada is a very interesting topic. In 1606 Mattieu DaCosta, a translator for a European ship named Jonas was first black man that was recorded in Canada’s history(he was from Portugal). His job was to translate the language of the â€Å"MicMac† Indians during trade on the Pierre deGua expedition. Later in 1628, a British ship went up the St. Lawrence River to arrive at New France. In its cargo was a single Madagascan Black chil. This child, who was six years old at the time, was in possession by David Kirke who was a famous privateer who, with blessings of King Charles 1, was executing raids on young French colonies. The African child was the first known Black resident of Canada. He came as a slave. The subsequent year David Kirke captured Quebec City from, Samual deChamplain, it's founder. In 1713, the French territory of Acadia was ceded to the British by the Treaty of Utrecht. Southern settlers from New England moved north into the area, which was re-named Nova Scotia on July 4th 1776, the war for Canada's Independence. At this time there were approximately 500,000 blacks on which the French and the British counted on to assist them in fighting for their(the blacks) freedom. The first rebel to be killed was black, Chris Pazatex. One fifth of them were killed. After the war was over the British somewhat kept their promise. The promise of freedom and relocation for slaves to Nova Scotia. However, only 1 out of 10 to relocate were black. The promise was land, but only a small few received and owned any land. Most worked in houses of whites at a quarter of their wage. The majority of Black Loyalists were transported between April and September 1783.

Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Essay -- Papers

Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is a play about the way we blind ourselves to painful truths that we can’t bear to see. Physical sight and blindness are used throughout the play, often ironically, as a metaphor for mental sight and blindness. The play ends with the hero Oedipus literally blinding himself to avoid seeing the result of his terrible fate. But as the play demonstrates, Oedipus, the man who killed his father and impregnated his mother, has been blind all along, and is partly responsible for his own blindness. When the play opens, the people of the town are asking Oedipus for help. A curse has been cast upon the city and the only way to remove it, is to find the murderer of the last king, Laios. Oedipus then makes a promise to the people that he will find the guilty and punish them. Oedipus can physically see, but his mental blindness inhibits him from seeing the truth of his life. During the course of the day he has been given many clues to realize the truth about himself. Such that his name is Oedipus and â€Å"Oedipus† means swollen foot, and...

Rdr Experiment No. 9 Integrated Concepts of Equilibrium

Experiment No. 9 INTEGRATED CONCEPTS OF EQUILIBRIUM RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A system in equilibrium can be affected by the addition of another reagent leading to a change in chemical equation with a new equilibrium constant. An overall reaction is the sum of two or more reaction steps with different equilibrium constants. The overall equilibrium constant, Koverall, is the product of the equilibrium constants of the individual reaction step. If a reaction step is reversed, the equilibrium constant is set into its reciprocal.If a reaction step is multiplied by a common coefficient n, the new equilibrium constant is raised to the nth. The first part of the experiment dealt with the equilibrium reaction Cu(OH)2(s) ? Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq). 0. 10 M Cu(NO3)2 and 0. 10 M NaOH were reacted together in seven test tubes to form the solid Cu(OH)2, a blue precipitate. Distilled water was added to the first test tube. This served as the control. When 6. 0 M H2C2O4 was added to the second test tube, t he precipitate turned cloudy blue. The new equilibrium can be attributed to the formation of the solid CuC2H4 which is cloudy blue in color, and the ionization of H2C2O4.The addition of Zn dust in the third test tube resulted into a gray-brown precipitate. The mechanisms in this reaction are the dissociation of Cu(OH)2(s), redox of Cu2+ and Zn, and precipitation of Zn(OH)2, leading to an overall reaction of Cu(OH)2(s) + Zn(s) ? Zn(OH)2(s) + Cu(s). When 6. 0 M HNO3 was added to the fourth test tube, the precipitate disappeared. The H+ ions from the complete dissociation of HNO3 neutralize the OH- ions. This results to the shifting of the system to the right. The addition of 6. 0 M NH3 in the fifth test tube caused the formation of the deep blue [Cu(NH3)4]2+ complex.The new equilibrium was established from the dissociation reaction of Cu(OH)2 and NH3, and the formation of complex [Cu(NH3)4]2+. 1. 0 M Na3PO4 was added to the sixth test tube, and formed a light blue precipitate. The bas ic PO3- hydrolyzes to form OH- and HPO42-. The increase in OH- ions caused the system to shift to the left and formed more Cu(OH)2(s). In the seventh test tube, the addition of Cu(NO3)2 caused to form a cloudy turquoise precipitate. The addition of a common ion Cu2+ caused the formation of more solid.The cloudy supernate suggested that the solubility of a slightly soluble ionic compound is lowered in the presence of a common ion. In the second part of the experiment, saturated NaCl was put into three test tubes and in each, three different reagents were added. The initial equilibrium reaction was NaCl(s) ? Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq). The addition of 95% ethanol resulted to a clear supernate and very minimal white precipitate. Ionic compounds such a NaCl dissolve in polar solvents like ethanol. The addition of concentrated HCl resulted in the formation of more white precipitate, due to the addition of a common ion Cl-.When MgSO4 was added, there was no visible reaction. This is due to the the displacement reaction of the two solids forming aqueous solutions of MgCl2 and Na2SO4. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS A. test tube 1 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 K_eq=[? Cu? ^(2+)]? [? OH? ^-]? ^2 B. test tube 2 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 H2C2O4 (aq) HC2O4-(aq) + H+(aq) Ka=6. 5Ãâ€"10-2 HC2O4-(aq) C2O42-(aq) + H+(aq) Ka=6. 1Ãâ€"10-5 Cu(OH)2(s) + H2C2O4 (aq) Cu2+(aq) + C2O42-(aq) + 2H2O(l) Keq=8. 23Ãâ€"10-26 C. test tube 3 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 Cu2+(aq) + Zn(s) Zn2+(aq) + Cu(s) Kredox=3. 46Ãâ€"1034 Zn2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Zn(OH)2 (aq) Ksp=5. 435Ãâ€"1013 Cu(OH)2(s) + Zn(s) Zn(OH)2 (aq) + Cu(s) Keq=4. 137Ãâ€"1028 D. test tube 4 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 2HNO3(aq) ? 2H+(aq) + 2NO3 (aq) Ka=? Cu(OH)2(s) + 2HNO3 (aq) ? Cu2+(aq) + 2NO3 (aq) + 2H2O(l)Keq=? E. test tube 5 Cu(OH)2(s) Cu2+(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Ksp=2. 20x 10-20 Cu2+(aq) + 4 NH3(aq) Cu(NH3)4]2+(aq) Kf=5. 0x1013 Cu(OH)2(s) + 4 NH3(aq) [Cu(NH3)4]2 +(aq) + 2OH-(aq) Keq=1. 1Ãâ€"10-6 F. test tube 6 3Cu(OH)2(s) 3Cu2+(aq) + 6OH-(aq) Ksp=1. 0648x 10-59 2H3PO4 (aq) 2H+(aq) + 2H2PO4-(aq) Ksp=5. 625Ãâ€"10-5 2H2PO4-(aq) 2H+(aq) + 2HPO42-(aq) Ksp=3. 844Ãâ€"10-15 2HPO42-(aq) 2H+(aq) + 2PO43-(aq) ¬ Ksp=2. 304Ãâ€"10-27 3Cu(OH)2(s) +2H3PO4 (aq) Cu3(PO4)2(s) + 6H2O(l)Keq? 0 A. Test tube 1 B. Test tubes 6, 5, 3, and 2 C. Test tube 5 D. Test tubes 7, 6, 4, 3, and 2 E. Test tube 7, and 2 F. Test tube 6, 5, and 3In test tube 1, the addition of ethanol to the solution produced little precipitate. It is because ethanol is capable of hydrogen-bonding with water, thus, depriving the Na+ and Cl- ions of water molecules to â€Å"hydrate† them. On the other hand, adding HCl produced a greater amount of precipitate because it completely ionizes into H+ and Cl- ions. Because Cl- is part of one side of the dissolution process, the equilibrium shifted to the side favoring the reformation of NaCl crystals. Lastly, the addition of MgSO4 doe s not affect the system because none of its constituent ions were present in the equilibrium reaction of NaCl.

Is the Job in Fast-Food Restaurant Exploitative Essay

Exploitation is a term to describe person that are being mistreated. Karl Marx used it to explain the relationship between the capitalists and workers. It is claim that the value of a product is depended by how much labor has paid on it such as time, energy or ideas. Therefore the price of a product minus the cost and energy to produce a product or other sufficient usages should be equal to what a worker can earn. However, as the workers own nothing but their labor, they could only sell their labor to capitalists who own all other kinds of resources. Marx defined the value that capitalists take away from the workers as surplus value. It should be fair between â€Å"sellers† and â€Å"buyers†, but the capitalists refuse to pay a suitable amount of reward. In order to gain more profit, the capitalists would try as hard as they can to increase the surplus value, and lead to exploitation. In the paragraph below, I will first start with reason why Hong Kong fast food workers being exploited. Second I will focus on the current situation of exploitations in Hong Kong fast food restaurant. In addition, I will express my opinion on the implantation of minimum wage. It could only improve the situation of workers but could not solve the problem of exploitation. Reason for being exploited Workers in fast food shop is being exploited mainly because of the supply of workers is far more than the demand of job opportunities. In general, the jobs in fast food restaurant are independent to the education level. It is because most of the job opportunities in fast food restaurants are being simplified and divided clearly. With the aid of machines, almost everyone could do the job well; no specific skills are needed in fast food restaurants. Therefore this kind of jobs will depend much more on social skills such as communicate with customers, meaning that this kind of jobs is widely open to different types of people. In 2007, there are approximately 32,100 fast food restaurant employee, compare with unemployment workers of age group between 20 to 50, which is over 100,000 in 2007. It is obvious that the supply of potential workers is far more than the job opportunities. Since the workers lack of bargaining power, it means capitalists could heavily exploit and extract the surplus value from workers. In order to earn a living or at least subsidies the family, workers have no choice but to accept the offer from capitalists. Exploitation in Hong Kong fast food restaurant There are two sectors for capitalists to exploit the labors, first is low wage and long working hour , another would be on cutting employee welfare, and these two kinds of exploitations are common in fast food restaurant. It is terrified that the first aspect, low wage and long working hour, is a kind of norm in fast food industry. In before minimum wage launched, the average wage of fast food restaurant workers is extremely low, most of the fast food restaurant offer the workers with less than $20 per hour. Besides pay for a low wage to workers, long working hour and mechanized steps in the fast food industry also reflect exploitation on the workers. As the capitalists treat labor as a product, they want to use this product to gain profit as much and fast as it can. On one hand they reduce the wage of workers, on the other hand the want to increase the rate of getting reward. They therefore encourage their workers to work overtime. Since the wages are too low that workers can not even earn a living for their family, they must need to work longer to fulfill the needs. The research conducted by HKCTU in 2006 showed that the maximum working hour for fast food shop workers may up to 10 hours per day, but still they not earn enough for their family. Overtime working had already been proved that would lead to greater chance of getting heart attack. Capitalists sacrifice the lives of their workers to gain profits, which is created by workers. Exploitation can also be found on welfare. If there is a contract relationship between employer and employee, both of them should be protected by laws. However, the laws in Hong Kong show that it is unbalance. The laws protect the employer more than that of employee and it also leads to exploitation. There are some cases that the capitalists avoid to pay for the employee welfare that a workers should have by using loopholes in the laws. The current labor laws stated that for all employees that continuously working for 4 weeks and each of the weeks working for not less than 18 hours, he or she will be protected by the law and can enjoy the employee welfare. However, this law comes with a lot of loopholes that let the capitalists have room to avoid paying employee welfare, like force the workers stop working every 3 weeks. It becomes a characteristic in fast food industry because of its unbalance between supply and demand. The working hours of this kind of â€Å"short-term† workers may equal to long-term workers, but the worker will never receive the benefits form the welfare. This make the whole thing legal and the exploitation may continue. Some extreme cases even show that capitalists may act illegally to exploit the employee welfare. In 2009, the motorbike couriers from McDonald were discovered that they had forced to be self-employ, meaning that they do not have any paid holiday, insurance or any other employee welfare. It is rather on the edge but since the current labor laws is not strict enough to protect the employee and rather or not the company is abusing the self-employ scheme is hard to be proved, the problem still remain unsolvable. Implantation of minimum wage The minimum wage law could reduce the level of exploitation, but capitalists could develop new methods to exploit the workers. According the findings of HKCTU, the wage of fast food restaurant workers after the launched of minimum wage has been increased for 20% to 50%. It is also glad that some of the fast food restaurants such as Cafe de Coral and Fairwood paid for the dinning hours and provide paid holidays to their workers which are previously do not. They are good news for the workers, but when comparing to the current situation, it could only solve part of the problem of low wage, but the law still not protecting the welfare of workers, current labor laws still rely on â€Å"4-18 scheme†. In addition, in order to maintain the profits to balance the increase in wage, some of the fast food restaurants implant new machines to their fast food restaurants. It increases the rate of trading, meanings the rate of getting reward increase. Although the capitalists claim that the new machines will not cause any dismiss of workers, new machines further simplified the process in fast food restaurants. Lower the skills level for fast food restaurant jobs indicate that the bargaining power of workers will not increase but further slide down. The set up of minimum wage provide an index for capitalists to exploit. Now they can not reduce the wage of workers, but instead they exploit the workers with brand new ways. The form of exploitation has been change but does not mean that exploitation has disappeared. Conclusion In Hong Kong, the supply of labor is far more than the demand, causes the powerless situation of workers. In order to earn for their families, they could only be exploited. Minimum wage improves the current situation of labor, but could not solve the problem. The only way that balance the relationship between capitalist and workers, may rely on create new laws. If we need to solve the problem, the implant of minimum wage is the first step only.